Who is your dad?

The Marquis of Louisette said that the reason he amassed a vast fortune was because he was the first to dive into the mining development industry.

I already knew this much as I had read it in a novel before. However, what I realized during the lecture was that the truly important details were never mentioned in the novel.

The Marquis bought up the mines before they were developed and, after receiving mining rights from the royal palace, he began extracting minerals as much as he pleased. He didn’t even know how many mines he had acquired.

It was said that the minerals produced from various places included gems like gold, silver, and diamonds, as well as fuels like coal. Among them, the most valuable was the magical stone.

Considered a gift from the gods, the magical stone commanded a high price. As the Marquis ventured into mining these stones, he became the magnate he is today.

He earned money by extracting gems from the mines he bought for a song, invested that money in more mines to extract more minerals, gradually digging up more valuable ores. It became clear to him that money attracts more money.

Thus, the rich get richer while the poor remain poor.

“However, it is said that there were people who objected to the Marquis monopolizing the mining rights.”

“Yes, indeed, sir. Our Marquis is truly quick to understand!”

As Hannah explained, she didn’t miss a chance to praise me. Her lavish praise was always ready even if I simply nodded my head in agreement.

“Yet, the Marquis managed to maintain his mining monopoly.”

“He had powerful backers.”

Hannah nodded. Despite not speaking, she seemed to know already, and her eyes sparkled with affection as she smiled charmingly.

Despite the discontented voices, nothing changed. It was simply because someone stronger than them had intervened. It was a rather simplistic principle.

“Could it be that it was Duke Toskur’s doing? That’s why there were rumors about him? But the timing doesn’t line up. That story must be at least 30 years old.”

“Half right, half wrong. The Marquis did indeed bend to Duke Toskur’s will, but the one who truly helped him wasn’t the Duke himself; it was his mother, Lady Marina.”

“Lady Marina?”

The mother of the Grand Duke. Is it reasonable to address her solely as ‘Madam’ without any other honorifics?

“Yes. She was, so to speak, the beloved of the former emperor…”

Although the rest of the conversation was muffled, Hannah could grasp the essence of what was being said. The Grand Duke Toskur was the son of the former emperor, thus he received the title of Grand Duke, but his mother was not recognized as the emperor’s ‘wife,’ just as his ‘beloved.’

Words from a harsh conversation between Karl and Franz at the train station when they returned to the capital resurfaced. What was incomprehensible back then now suddenly made sense.

If the son of his grandfather’s lover, Franz, becomes Karl’s superior uncle, it complicates the ambiguous relationship between uncle and nephew. It was clear they were more like cousins owing to their similar ages.

Moreover, judging by their conversation, it seemed that Karl did not fully acknowledge Franz as a legitimate son from a formal marriage. When the two meet, sparks are bound to fly. I involuntarily nodded in understanding.

“Grand Emperor Magnus truly cherished Lady Marina. If it was her request, he would go to great lengths to fulfill even unreasonable desires.”

“Surely… It wasn’t because of her that the Marquis obtained exclusive mining rights, was it?”

“Exactly as you see. It was Lady Marina who essentially made Marquis Louisette a major figure.”

In short, Lady Marina played a crucial role in the Marquis’s rise to his current position through her behind-the-scenes maneuvers.

“There are no free lunches in this world. So, what was the grudge she held in exchange for maintaining his exclusive mining rights?”

“Becoming a silent majority shareholder.”

“What is this about?”

“It’s about all industries utilizing magic stones.”

“All industries? From mining to processing and sales?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, I see… So externally, it’s like letting the pants merchant do as they please? And you just agreed to that so easily, as a viscount?”

“Rather that than having rights taken over by a completely different family. The detailed terms should be specified in the contract. I haven’t seen the document myself since it’s not something one can casually inspect outside of the main family.”

That’s why Franz could order Celeste around as he pleased. Because what belonged to Celeste was actually her mother’s.

“Oh dear.”

The relationship between Franz and Celeste had a much more capitalist flavor than one might think. It was not a simple lovers’ relationship as in novels; it seemed more like a relationship between a master and a subject.

“So, where does this Lady Marina live now?”

“Well, I heard she left far away for rest after the previous emperor passed away.”

Was it really for rest? Perhaps her only trusted ally disappeared, so she went into hiding, fearing retribution.

It’s like the saying about a person in a position of power losing favor or the loved one vanishing, leaving them in a precarious situation. At least in this case, the son had gained favor, so it wasn’t a complete failure.

“What about the carriage we sent Franz back in today?”

“It couldn’t be helped. He lost his memory and went to see the emperor without knowing any of this. Franz always wears a smiling face, but behind that smile hides a dangerous mind, so if the viscount doesn’t remember anything, who knows how he might take advantage of that. It could be a disaster.”

Behind the smiling face hides a sinister interior. It is a character setup that was clearly depicted in the novel as Franz’s. Although it was thought that nobody knew about such a quality of his, it seems there were a few who noticed after all. Well, not everyone is a fool.

“And also…”

“Yes?”

“The Count must be very careful, more than ever, about his actions. Extremely cautious and careful.”

“Because of the newspapers? All the fuss about the unruly and messy Count’s succession and whatnot?”

“That too, but more importantly…”

“More importantly? Why lower your voice so much to say something? It’s making me nervous for no reason.”

“He may soon become Duke Albrecht’s consort. It could be a big problem if he gets involved with another man for no reason.”

“Who said Duke Albrecht is going to become a consort? Surely not me?”

When asked with a face of disbelief, Hannah widened her eyes and blinked.

“Me? Why on earth would it be me?”

“Why indeed! Because the Count is the mother of Duke Albrecht’s child!”

As Hannah’s final exclamation, which had been spoken in a lowered voice so far, resonated like an echo within the mansion.

The realization that being the mother of Albrecht’s child meant I was going to marry Karl took about 2 seconds to sink in.

“So I have to marry Duke Albrecht because of Valerie?”

“Yes. With an illustrious child between you two and no official betrothal to anyone else, there is no reason not to marry. Not just that, but there are plenty of reasons why you must get married!”

Marriage.

Looking at it from the perspective of ballerina Celeste’s life first, it would have been the most ideal ending. Even though the order was reversed, anyway, if the two of them get married, everything will be neatly sorted out.

But what worries me is that at some point, the situation has been heading in a very different direction from the original.

Even though I think, “Is this really okay?” at times, and then think, “Well, whatever,” I also worry about what if I completely destroy the original work like this and then face some consequences later.

Was it a problem that I left on my own to find a way to live alone?

No. Looking at Celeste’s age, the world had already been twisted strangely even before I became Celeste. Although I might have played a part in the collapse of the original work to some extent, I wasn’t the one who started the destruction.

By this point, the meaning of the original work to me has changed into something like cheat codes that reveal facts or secret relationships unknown to others. It can’t be more than that or less.

In the original work, Celeste might have been a villain who deserved to fall, but now that I have become Celeste, she is definitely not that kind of person… Isn’t it okay for her to meet a somewhat happy and comfortable ending?

Originally, people are all selfish by nature. So, now that it’s come to this, I should make Celeste the protagonist.